New Zealand Day 14: South Island

Christchurch

We had the whole day to spend in Christchurch but I awoke to find that it was raining. We headed for the centre of town, Cathedral Square, just 5 minutes walk away from our hotel. In the cathedral we found a group of women busily putting together a display for a festival of flowers starting the next day. In order to avoid the rain we then went to an indoor exhibition, Southern Encounters, an aquarium and kiwi house. The kiwis were very active, as although they are nocturnal, the day had been turned to night. We then discovered the Christchurch trams so we bought a two-day ticket, which allowed us to get on and off at the stops whenever we wanted. We used the tram to travel to the Arts Centre, which is housed in the old University of Canterbury buildings. From there it was just across the road to the Botanic Gardens. Even in the rain the gardens were spectacular with plenty of colour in the various beds. As we made our way back to the centre we noticed some topiary animals in Victoria Square so quickly alighted from the tram to have a look.